A customer opens an invoice and sees a price they did not expect. Nobody told them. They do not argue about the amount, they argue about the surprise, and a sensible increase turns into a complaint about trust.
Most price changes are reasonable. What damages the relationship is the way they arrive. A short plan made before the first message goes out is usually enough to avoid that.
Timing
Give customers enough time to react. A common rule of thumb is thirty days for monthly services and longer for annual contracts, but check your contract terms first, because some require a fixed notice period.
- Say the start date clearly. "From 1 March, the monthly fee is X" is better than "soon".
- Avoid bad moments. Do not send it on a Friday afternoon or during a service problem.
- Send it once, to everyone, in the same week. Customers talk to each other, and a slow rollout looks unfair.
Wording
Keep the message short and put the fact first.
- The change: the old price, the new price and the start date.
- The reason: one honest sentence, such as higher supplier costs or more work included. Do not apologise at length and do not list every cost.
- What stays the same: service level, contact person, contract terms.
- What the customer can do: who to contact with questions and, if the contract allows it, how to change or end the service.
Write as you would to a customer you know. Avoid phrases such as "we are pleased to announce", which sounds odd for a price increase.
A short example:
From 1 March, the monthly fee for your support plan changes from 90 to 99 euro. Our costs for tools and hosting have risen, and we would rather adjust the price than reduce the service. Everything else stays the same. If you have a question, reply to this message and Anna will answer within two working days.
Exceptions
Decide on exceptions before the announcement, not after the first complaint. Write down:
- Which customers keep the old price for a limited time, for example long-standing customers or those with a running annual contract.
- Which customers get a personal call first, such as your largest accounts.
- What you will not do, for example a permanent discount for anyone who asks.
Keep the list short and write the reason next to each exception. If you grant an exception later, add it to the list so the next decision is consistent.
Who handles the replies
Name one person who owns the replies and one deputy. Give them:
- A short sheet with answers to the five likely questions: why, why now, what is included, can I keep the old price, how do I cancel.
- The exception list and the limit of what they can agree without asking.
- A shared place to log each reply: customer, question, answer, outcome.
Look at the first replies the same day. If three customers ask the same question, the message was unclear, and a short follow-up to everyone is better than answering the same question again and again.
After the announcement
Two weeks later, take ten minutes to review:
- How many customers asked questions, and which questions repeated.
- How many accepted, asked for an exception or left.
- What would make the next announcement easier, such as an earlier date or a clearer reason.
Record the result in one page next to your customer and billing records, and keep price changes in your normal change process if the website or the order form shows prices as well.
Common mistakes
- Silence until the invoice. The surprise is the problem.
- Long justifications. One honest sentence is enough.
- Deciding exceptions case by case in the replies. It leads to inconsistent answers.
- No named owner. Replies get lost or contradict each other.
- Forgetting the website. Old prices on a page or a quote form confuse customers after the change.
How to start
- Check the contract terms for notice periods.
- Choose the start date and work back to the sending date.
- Write the four-part message and read it as a customer would.
- Agree the exception list and the reply owner.
- Send it once to everyone, then log the replies and review after two weeks.
Summary
A price change does not have to be a conflict. Early notice, plain wording, exceptions decided in advance and one named person for the replies let customers accept it as a business decision rather than a surprise. A short review after two weeks makes the next change easier.
Sources
- Our related articles linked above.
- The routine is common practice for small companies and is offered as a practical guide. It is not legal advice, so check your contract and local rules on notice periods. No client results or market figures are claimed in this article.
